All posts tagged curved screen smartphone

Samsung Electronics Co. is getting help from South Korea’s largest carrier to drum up sales of the Galaxy Round, the company’s curved-screen smartphone, amid reports of weak demand.

Samsung and SK Telecom Co. on Tuesday declined to comment on the Galaxy Round’s sales since its launch in October. Samsung has so far been low-key in its efforts to sell the phone and hasn’t disclosed plans to sell it overseas. In contrast, a rival model from LG Electronics Inc., called G Flex, is available for pre-orders in Singapore and will go on sale in Hong Kong later this week.

SK Telecom, the only carrier selling the Galaxy Round in Korea, is offering a discount of approximately 100,000 won (US$95) to 150,000 won (US$142) to anyone buying the phone together with Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch, a company spokeswoman said. The Roundcomes with a price tag of 1,089,000 won and the Gearsells for 396,000 won without a contract. Read More »

LG Electronics Inc. has unveiled its new 6-inch curved-screen smartphone, two weeks after rival Samsung Electronics Co. launched a similar phone.

LG says its “G Flex” phone, which has a screen that is curved from the top to bottom, will fit more snugly against users’ cheeks when they talk, while Samsung Electronics has promised a better handgrip with its Galaxy Round that is curved along the sides of the phone.

LG also says the curvature on the G Flex, if held horizontally, offers a viewing experience akin to an IMAX theater, although one could argue that that effect would make more sense on a much bigger screen like a 55- or 60-inch curved-screen television set. Read More »

Samsung, which said last month it would be launching a phone with a curved screen, unveiled the Galaxy Round on Wednesday. The phone, which has a concave body, features a 5.7-inch full high-definition screen and curves on the sides of the phone.

Samsung Electronics, which has been experimenting with a range of curved designs for its television models, is hoping the curved screen differentiates its phone from the rest of the pack in an intensely competitive market. But analysts have long dismissed curved screens as marketing gimmicks that add little real value to the product. Read More »

In South Korea, curved designs are catching on. This time it’s the batteries for smartphones.

LG Electronics Inc.’s battery making affiliate, LG Chem Ltd. announced this week that it has started mass-producing “curved” batteries this month that will eventually be used for LG’s upcoming smartphone, which will have a curved screen.

As absurd as the race toward curved designs may seem, LG’s not alone in the pursuit of such forms for smartphone components.Read More »

LG Electronics Inc. looks set to launch a smartphone with a curved screen in November, according to a person familiar with the matter. That sets the stage for another battle with its larger South Korean rival, Samsung Electronics Co., which has announced plans to release a curved phone this month.

At this point, the victor may win little but bragging rights. Fully flexible displays are still far from being widely available, and Samsung and LG’s technological breakthrough with curved phone displays are likely to come with a high tag price. It does, however, open the door to improved screens that could feature in the growing array of wearable devices, and maybe the next breed of smartphones with unconventional shapes. Read More »